Await outcome of Wilmington audit, then make judgment

The words "forensic audit" have an ominous sound to them. Right now they are echoing through Wilmington's city government, raising eyebrows and suspicions at the same time.

Mayor Dennis Williams called for a forensic audit after the city's auditor uncovered some discrepancies.

The nature and extent of those discrepancies remain unknown to the public and, apparently, to the City Council members as well. That, in itself, is not a problem. The mayor should jump to fix any irregularities in the handling of the taxpayers' money.

As far as we can tell, the auditor was spot on in calling out the discrepancies, and the mayor was right in asking for the investigation. But that is as far as we can tell. We await the outcome of the investigation to learn what is really afoot.

The mayor, as he put it in a statement, wants to run a "tight ship" and a "clean ship." Even if nothing is as wrong as anything the words "forensic audit" might conjure up, the city - like all public agencies - needs to make sure every good accounting procedure follows the spirit and letter of the law.

That has always been important, but in this age of slipping revenues and a stagnating job market, that standard has to be strictly adhered to.

Therefore, if this audit alert does nothing more than bring city employees up to date on proper procedures, consider it a success.

We would caution against raising unnecessary alarms. That can be as bad as raising false hopes. It is better to announce the action, then act and leave the descriptions unsaid until the facts are in.

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Await outcome of Wilmington audit, then make judgment

The words 'forensic audit' have an ominous sound to them. Right now they are echoing through Wilmington's city government, raising eyebrows and suspicions at the same time.